MI weekly selection #81

A tiny, long-nosed creature found in western Africa looks like a mouse, but is genetically closer to an elephant, according research published in the Journal of Mammalogy. Biologists who discovered the new species of elephant shrew call it Macroscelides micus. It lives in an ancient Namibian volcanic formation, has red fur and measures about 7.5 inches, or about 19 centimeters, from nose to tail.

Crystal cocoons formed by the impact of asteroids in Earth’s early days may have protected fragile bacteria from radiation, according to a study in the International Journal of Astrobiology. The hypothesis was tested by placing cyanobacteria into plain glass discs or impact rocks and sending them to the International Space Station, where they were mounted outside for almost two years. The glass-enclosed bacteria died, however, when the impact-shocked rocks were cracked open it was possible to detect chemical signals of life and rejuvenate the dormant cyanobacteria.

Glow in center of Milky Way may be first indirect indication of dark matter

A high-energy gamma-ray light at the center of the Milky Way could be the first indirect evidence of the presence of dark matter, according to a study. Scientists using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope detected an abundance of gamma-ray photons at the center of the Milky Way that extend about 5,000 light-years out.

Jupiter’s four largest moons stay somewhat lit when eclipsed by the giant planet. Researchers don’t know how Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto remain illuminated when Jupiter blocks them from the sun, but say the discovery could help them learn more about the mysterious upper atmosphere that surrounds Jupiter. The eclipsed moons’ luminosity is one-millionth to one-ten-millionth of their normal brightness, which is why the phenomenon hadn’t been discovered before now.